Best of the Week: Marcos, Mar, Manilow and the Mother Monster

Suggestion of the Week: Bury Ferdie, finally

MANILA, Philippines - Ferdinand Marcos’ gravestone should read: “Born: 1917, Died 1989, Buried 2011” but even that isn’t a certainty. Finally, the vice president’s recommendations for the interment of the late strongman have been made public and it seems that Jejomar Binay is still too gracious to deny Marcos some departure honors his loyalists feel are due to him. The VP did not suggest that Marcos be buried with full military honors at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, but instead resorted to have him interred in his hometown of Ilocos. Whether he will be given military honors during the burial is still subject to debate, since many are still disputing the Marcoses’ place in history. The Makati Business Club already expressed opposition to any honors to be given to the former president, but nothing yet is final.

Couple of the Week: Tay-Patz

Was it the overwhelming joy of winning? Was it the latent homosexual tendencies in him that have finally manifested? Or was it just a plain old practical joke? Well, whatever it is, it finally happened! Robert Pattinson, the actor who plays the role of Edward Cullen, vampire debonair extraordinaire (except when he’s sparkling), finally kissed his werewolf competitor, teen star Taylor Lautner. At the MTV Movie Awards this week, where their movie The Twilight Saga: Eclipse won every award it was nominated for, Robert Pattinson ditched girlfriend and co-star Kirsten Stewart when they won the Best Kiss Award by going down the stage and kissing Lautner instead. The audience reacted in a frenzy, with the naysayers who have been claiming Twilight is gay feeling vindicated.

Assassin of the Week: iMessage

Soon, the days of exchanging BBM PINs and using the revolutionary messaging service will be gone, probably murdered by another service that is bound to take it to the next level. Apple recently unveiled the feature and it seems like Research in Motion, BlackBerry’s manufacturer, can now call off the shots. iMessage, an integrated messaging service that can run on WiFi or 3G, works exactly the way BBM does, but with enhanced features such as delivery and read notifications. It also supports group chats and has a built-in typing indicator that works on all Apple devices on all versions of the iOS. Sounds to good to be true? Well, Apple after all is the fruit of temptation.

Secretary of the Week: Mar Roxas

It was totally unsurprising to find out that P-Noy has appointed his ill-fated running mate Mar Roxas as the new secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communication, following the resignation of Secretary Ping de Jesus. The President already hinted that he had another position in mind for Roxas but had to offer him the post first because of Sec. de Jesus’ unexpected resignation. Mar Roxas accepted the post, saying he understands the situation and is welcome to be part of the solution. “He was measured many times and found not wanting,” Aquino told the press this week, possibly referencing the Lino Brocka classic. It was also revealed that this early, the President has already ordered Roxas to look into the expansion project of the railroad system and matters concerning the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Meanwhile, Roxas’ wife Korina Sanchez is rumored to also have been offered a cabinet post. If she accepts, she will be the presidential advisor on hairstyling.

Inspiration of the Week: Britney Spears

Barry Manilow is coming back from oblivion with his new album, titled “15 Minutes,” and says Britney Spears served as his inspiration. “What I saw was a lot of young people becoming famous very quickly, overnight,” he says, when asked about the title and his motivation to write the album. He says he thought about Britney Spears, and how the estranged mother-of-two former teen superstar was not able to live her life without the paparazzi surrounding her. He also looked back to the beginning of his career for more inspiration, admitting that he became too demanding when the idea of celebrity got to his head. “I didn’t like where I found myself,” he said. Well, we didn’t like it, too, when we found Britney in the barbershop.

Sequel of the Week: The Human Centipede 2

If there is a movie somewhere that claims to be the Mother of All Grossness, consider it dethroned. The Human Centipede 2 exceeds gross expectations, and will take a lot of courage from moviegoers if they want to finish it. Taking off from the first sequence, the sequel revolves around a man who erotically falls in love with a DVD copy of the original film, and decides to recreate the idea of the human centipede. The British Board of Film Classification already refused to give the movie an 18 Certificate, making the distribution or exhibition of the film, by any means, illegal in Britain. The BBFC claims the film just focuses on the sexual arousal of the central character by seeing his victims brutalized, mutilated and abused. It also features a scene where the main character rapes the victim at the end of the chain, while the other victims are getting defecated in the mouth. Literally, naiputan sa mukha.

Fashion Icon of the Week: Lady Gaga

The Council of Fashion Designers of America recently honored the eccentric Lady Gaga as the Fashion Icon for 2011, making her join the ranks of the fashionably normal Nicole Kidman, Kate Moss and Sarah Jessica Parker. Fans from across the globe rejoiced to this new honor their Mother Monster earned, but more critics are disagreeing with the CFDA decision to put up Gaga as an icon. Stephen Marche of Esquire asks, “Isn’t Lady Gaga just Britney Spears spackled with art school clichés?” while others still question as to how a costumed woman merrily singing pop songs could be an icon of fashion for her time. Some even did a rundown of her most “interesting” wardrobes to date: from the pepper-less T-bone meat dress, the glass shards gown and the bubble dress to the bra-and-knickers to a baseball game outfit, the list just keeps going. We won’t argue whether Gaga deserves the award or not; we’ll just push for Pokwang to also get the same kind of award.

Single of the Week: 100 by Howie Dorough

No, we’re not talking about P-Noy who is eternally single or his hair which is in single file, but rather, a music single. Howie Dorough, former Backstreet Boy now going solo, released the music video of his single, “100,” from his upcoming CD to be initially released in Japan. He will also be part of the reunion tour by the NKOTBSB, though his solo career is taking off smoothly. Dorough is also co-manager to the Canadian singing group Neverest, and has a cameo on one of their music videos. It could be that the Backstreet’s back, alright.